Wireless History                                       

In 1996 the government provided the public with the 1996 Telecommunications Act.  The spirit of the Act was to insure fair competition of the ILECs (the telephone companies) that had grown into a monopoly and allow new Exchange Carriers.  These new pioneers were called CLECS for Competitive Local Exchange Carriers.

The CLECs began using the telephone facilities as in the way that railroads would use other railroad company’s lines, they would rent the facilities.  Initially they were used for long distance services, up until 1997 with the birth of digital subscriber line, or more commonly known as DSL.

When the idea of the new technology of DSL hit Wall Street, it was an immediate success!  High speed broadband at a quarter of the price that the telephone companies had been charging.  The new startups popped up everywhere, venture capitol was there for the taking.  All was well, while Ma Bell was asleep at the wheel.   But a year later she awoke an shook those mighty trunk lines of hers and all the CLECs that had climbed aboard her mighty network were flung into bankruptcy courts.  The day of the competition was over, for now.

In 1897 a fellow by the name of Guglielmo Marconi obtained a patent and established the first Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company Limited.  In 1901 the first radio signals were received Trans-Atlantic.

In 1937 a woman by the name of Hedy Lamar was the wife of Fritz Mandl was entertaining guests such as Hitler and Mussolini.  Becoming concerned with the mounting war efforts Ms. Lamar plotted and inacted an escape to the U. S.  In London she met up with Louis B. Mayer, the Hollywood mogul, who later she was introduced to George Antheil.  While sitting at the piano with the composer one afternoon, she realized that they were both playing the same piece, only an octave apart.  This moment is what most claim gave Ms. Lamar the idea of multiple radio frequencies broadcast, or as it is now called, Spread Spectrum.  This idea was then used to broadcast to a torpedo and maneuver the torpedo, which helped us win WWII.  In 1957, Sylvania Electronics took the idea due to the patent lapsing.  It was developed for communications and is now the basis for all cellular and GPS.  It is also used by the Milstar defense communications satellite.

This technology has been asleep in our backyard for years.   It has recently been re-awaken to fight the sleeping dragon, the phone company.  This new technology goes by the name of Fixed Wireless and will be reckoned with.  Not only will it allow us to once again compete with the monopolized telephone company, but also it will give us control over the last mile solution.  It will bring communication to the public at a reasonable and fair price, so that it is available to everyone, not just the ones that are in the city or that can afford it.  It will educate our children; it will let it be ma and pa, not just ma.  Fixed Wireless is the technology of the future!